Gripper for a picking device and method for operating the picking device

ABSTRACT

Grippers for a picking device for drug packages and methods for operating the picking device are provided. The gripper has a tray having an end portion with an arcuate front, the end portion forming a loading and unloading front. The gripper further includes a transport device arranged above the tray and configured for moving drug packages from a storage surface onto the tray, and at least one sensor arranged in the end portion of the tray and configured to determine a presence of a drug package in a detection area of the at least one sensor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/752,845, entitled “GRIPPER FOR A PICKING DEVICE AND METHOD FOROPERATING THE PICKING DEVICE,” filed on Jan. 27, 2020, the entirecontent of which is incorporated by referenced herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a gripper for a picking device forpiece goods, in particular drug packages, and a method for operating thepicking device, in particular for verifying a movement of drug packagesonto a tray table of such a gripper.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments a gripper for drug packages. The gripperincludes a tray having an end portion with an arcuate front, the endportion forming a loading and unloading front. The gripper also includesa transport device arranged above the tray, the transport deviceconfigured to move drug packages from a storage surface onto the tray.The gripper further includes at least one sensor arranged in the endportion of the tray, the at least one sensor configured to determine apresence of a drug package in a detection area of the at least onesensor.

One or more embodiments provide a system for drug packages. The systemincludes a storage location configured to store one or more drugpackages and a picking device comprising a gripper. The gripper includesa tray having an end portion with an arcuate front, the end portionforming a loading and unloading front. The gripper also includes atransport device arranged above the tray, the transport deviceconfigured to move drug packages from the storage location onto thetray. The gripper further includes a sensor assembly arranged in the endportion of the tray, the sensor assembly configured to determine apresence of a drug package in a detection area of the sensor assembly.

One or more embodiments provide a method of verifying a movement of drugpackages onto a tray of a gripper. The method includes moving atransport device arranged above the tray to a storage location of atleast one drug package and gripping the at least one drug package. Themethod also includes moving the transport device from the storagelocation to the tray, the tray having an end portion with an arcuatefront, the end portion forming a loading and unloading front. The methodfurther includes checking, by at least one sensor arranged in the endportion, if a drug package is present in a detection area of the atleast one sensor and providing a signal indicating a first erroneousremoval attempt if the check is positive.

The foregoing and other features, aspects and advantages of thedisclosed embodiments will become more apparent from the followingdetained description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, one or more embodiments of the gripper according tothe disclosure and the method according to the disclosure will bedescribed in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a gripper according to the disclosure.

FIG. 1b is a perspective view of the gripper of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 2a is a perspective view of the gripper of FIG. 1a in the region ofthe end portion of the tray table.

FIG. 2b is a top plan view of the gripper of FIG. 2 a.

FIGS. 3a and 3b are perspective and tope plan views of FIGS. 2a and 2bwithout a tray table.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are perspective views of a jaw guide assembly of agripper according to the disclosure.

FIGS. 5a and 5b are bottom and top plan views of the jaw guide assemblyof FIGS. 4a and 4 b.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the jaw guide assembly of FIGS. 4a and4b when the clamping jaws are in parallel position.

FIGS. 7a-7h are schematic diagrams of different stages of one or moreembodiments of a method for operating a picking device having a gripperaccording to the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of one or more embodiments of a method foroperating a picking device having a gripper according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below describes variousconfigurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The detailed description includes specific details for thepurpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology.Accordingly, dimensions are provided in regard to certain aspects asnon-limiting examples. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the subject technology may be practiced without thesespecific details. In some instances, well-known structures andcomponents are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concepts of the subject technology.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure includes examples ofthe subject technology and does not limit the scope of the appendedclaims. Various aspects of the subject technology will now be disclosedaccording to particular but non-limiting examples. Various embodimentsdescribed in the present disclosure may be carried out in different waysand variations, and in accordance with a desired application orimplementation.

In known grippers of operating systems for picking devices for drugpackages, the loading and unloading face of the tray table of thegripper is straight. This front is moved for moving drug packages ontoor from the tray table to a storage location, wherein the storagelocation may be, for example, a shelf or a conveyor belt for moving drugpackages in or out of the picking device. For this purpose, the gripperwith its tray table can be moved frontally along the longitudinal axisof the tray table to the storage location. Alternatively, the grippercan be pivoted or rotated for the tray table to approach the storagelocation. The straight front then requires when performing only arotational or pivotal movement that a gap remains between the front andthe storage location, wherein the width of the gap is dependent on thewidth of the tray table. When using larger grippers with correspondinglywide tray tables, this gap is increasingly wider, so that it isnecessary in such a case, to reduce the gap by moving the gripper afterpivoting or rotating the gripper. Alternatively, you can form the frontof the tray table in a bent manner. This requires that after a pivotingor rotational movement for positioning the gripper, the gap is smaller,at least in the middle of the curved front, but increases to the sidesof the tray table.

When moving drug packages from a storage location onto the tray table,it may happen that the drug package remains hanging in the gap betweenthe storage location and the front of the tray table and is onlypartially pulled onto the tray table. In the case of known grippers witha straight front side, this is detected by a light barrier arranged atthe front of the tray table which faces a storage location, is which candetect when drugs have become stuck.

Depending on the design of the curved front, however, a portion of thetray table remains, which cannot be detected with a light barrier, sincethis light barrier must be located in the areas of the tray table wherethe tray table is not yet bent. This causes that such incorrectremovals, which do not extend into the detection area of the lightbarrier, are not recognized and the operating device assumes a correctmovement of a drug package onto the gripper, although the drug packagepartially rests in the bent portion of the front of the tray table.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a gripper in whichan incorrect movement of a drug package onto the tray table of a grippercan be detected even with a curved front of the tray table. It isanother object of the present disclosure to provide a method forverifying a movement of drug packages onto the tray table.

This object is achieved by a gripper for a picking device withhorizontal storage surfaces for the storage of drug packages. Thegripper according to the disclosure comprises a tray table extending ina first horizontal direction (X-direction) and a second horizontaldirection (Y-direction) orthogonal to the first horizontal direction,having an end portion with an arcuate front extending in theY-direction, said end portion forming the loading and unloading front,said tray table and said end portion defining an upper support surface.

A transport device movable in the first horizontal direction is arrangedabove the tray table for moving drug packages from a horizontal storagesurface onto the tray table. To grasp a drug package, the transportdevice is first moved in the X-direction to a storage location of a drugpackage. Once the transport device is properly positioned, a drugpackage is gripped and the transport device is again moved in theX-direction toward the tray table, thereby pulling the drug package ontothe tray table. In this pulling movement, the drug package is moved overthe end portion with an arcuate front. How exactly the drug package isgrasped depends on the exact design of the transport device. Accordingto the disclosure, the term transport device is intended to cover alldevices with which a drug package can be moved from the storage surfaceonto the tray table. For example, it is conceivable that the transportdevice is designed as a suction arm or includes such, by means of whicha drug package is pulled onto the tray table.

In the gripper according to the disclosure, at least one sensor coupledto a control device is arranged in the end portion below the supportsurface, which sensor can determine the presence of a drug package inits detection area. The aforementioned control device may be part of thegripper itself, but it may also be arranged at a different location ofthe picking device. Due to the arrangement of the sensor in the endportion and below the support surface, any sensor can be used, which candetect the presence of an object. The sensor may, for example, operateon the principle of a light scanner, a light sensor or a tactile sensor,the exact configuration of the sensor for the disclosure is notessential, as long as it is ensured that the sensor can detect thepresence of a piece good in the end portion in the inventivearrangement.

With the gripper according to the disclosure, it is also possible todetect such incorrect movements or the removal of drug packages, inwhich the drug package thus remains hanging in the transition areastorage location/tray table, so that the package rests only in the endportion of the tray table. If one were to use a light barrier in such acase, which can be arranged only in the parallel portion of the traytable, such an incorrect removal would not be detected. However, the useand arrangement of at least one sensor below the support surfaceaccording to the disclosure makes such a detection possible. The use ofan aforementioned sensor has the additional advantage that it is lessexpensive than a light barrier.

If in this application a drug package is mentioned, where it makes sensetechnically, several drug packages should also be included. Thus, it ispossible with appropriate arrangement of the drug packages to moveseveral drug packages from a storage location onto the tray table.

As stated above, the transport device can be designed, for example, as asuction arm or comprise such. Although such a design is structurallyquite simple, a movement of several drug packages simultaneously from astorage surface onto the tray is not, and a movement of very heavy drugpackages is possible only with difficulty. In one or more embodiments ofthe suction gripper according to the disclosure, it is thereforepreferred that the transport device comprises two elongated clampingjaws, extending in the X-direction and with clamping surfaces facing oneanother, wherein at least one of the clamping jaws is additionallymovable at least in sections in the second horizontal direction. In oneor more embodiments of the transport device, several drug packages canbe moved simultaneously. Furthermore, heavier drug packages can be movedwhen applying a corresponding clamping force. The use of clamping jawsalso has the advantage of being able to guide the drug packages in theevent of movement of drug packages from the tray table to a storagesurface or delivery location. Furthermore, such a gripper can be used tomove drug packages on a storage surface along the second horizontaldirection.

Drug packages are moved onto the tray table such that they are movedover the longitudinal or central axis of the tray table, so that it issufficient to arrange a sensor in the central region of the end portion.In unfavorable cases, however, a drug package may become wedged in sucha way during movement onto the tray table that it rests only in an outerregion of the end portion. Therefore, in one or more embodiments of thegripper according to the disclosure it is provided that a plurality ofsensors is arranged for determining the presence of a drug package inthe end portion, wherein the sensors are arranged in the Y-directionspaced apart in the end portion below the support surface.

The sensors serve, as stated above, to detect whether a drug package hasbecome stuck in the end portion of the tray table when moving onto thetray table. In addition, however, it is also possible to use the sensorsfor a plausibility check with respect to the removed drug package, byusing the sensors to determine the approximate width of the drug packagebeing pulled over the end portion onto the tray table. To make thispossible, it is provided in one or more embodiments of the gripperaccording to the disclosure that the plurality of sensors are arrangedmirror-symmetrically with respect to a center axis of the tray tableextending in the X-direction. Based on the knowledge of themirror-symmetrical arrangement of the sensors, it is easily possible toconclude the approximate width of the drug package moved onto the traytable. Depending on the number of sensors, the “resolution” can beincreased during the plausibility check.

As already stated, the end portion is formed arcuately in the gripperaccording to the disclosure. In order to ensure that the gap between thefront and the storage location of a drug package is particularly small,it is provided in one or more embodiments that the arcuate front of theend portion is circularly arcuate, wherein the center of thecorresponding circle is located in a vertical axis of rotation of thetray table.

In order to avoid a long downtime of the gripper in case of failure of asensor or multiple sensors, it is provided in one or more embodimentsthat the end portion comprising at least one sensor is formed as sensorassembly detachable from the tray table. A corresponding design as asensor assembly allows for rapid replacement, possibly also by a“normal” operator.

It is essential in the gripper according to the disclosure that theclamping jaws are movable in the X-direction, which means that theclamping jaws are movable from the tray table to a storage location andback again, the X-direction regularly corresponding to the longitudinalaxis of the tray table. In order to ensure the clamping or gripping of adrug package, it is also necessary that at least one of the clampingjaws is movable in the Y-direction. To make the gripping of a drugpackage particularly effective and efficient, it is advantageous thatboth clamping jaws are movable in the Y-direction and at least one isalso designed to be pivotable.

To achieve this, it is provided in one or more embodiments of thegripper that the gripper has a jaw guide assembly for performing theaforementioned movements. This jaw guide assembly comprises a framestructure, at least a first and a second guide extending parallel and inthe first horizontal direction spaced from each other in the secondhorizontal direction, and at least four jaw carriages coupled to theguides and driven in the second horizontal direction, wherein two firstjaw carriages are associated with the first guide and two second jawcarriages are associated with the second guide, and wherein at least twojaw carriages spaced in the first horizontal direction are coupled to aclamping jaw. A drive unit is further coupled with the jaw guideassembly, with which drive unit the jaw guide assembly is driven in thefirst horizontal direction. The use of the combination of the guideswith jaw carriages makes it possible to move the clamping jaws evenlytoward or away from each other and at the same time pivot one of theclamping jaws when the jaw carriages are not moved simultaneously on thefirst and second guides. One or more embodiments of the movementmechanism of the clamping jaws has the further advantage that due to theguiding of the clamping jaws, a significant clamping force can beapplied to drug packages to be moved.

The above object is further achieved by a method for verifying amovement of drug packages onto a tray table of a gripper for a pickingdevice. In the method according to the disclosure, in a step a), thetransport device is moved in the X-direction to a storage location of atleast one drug package and the at least one drug package is gripped. Thestorage location may be, for example, a shelf surface. Alternatively,the storage location can also be formed by, for example, a conveyor beltfrom which the drug package is gripped in order to move it to a shelfsurface. After grasping the drug package, the transport device is movedin step b) from the storage location in the X-direction to the traytable, wherein the at least one drug package is moved over the arcuatefront of the end portion to the support surface of the tray table. Aftermoving the transport device in the X-direction, it is checked in a stepc) by means of the at least one sensor in the end portion whether a drugpackage is present in the detection area of the sensor. If this is thecase, it means that at least a portion of a drug package rests in theend portion of the tray table, indicating an incorrect movement of adrug package from a storage location onto the tray table. If the test ispositive, a signal is provided in a step d), which indicates a firstincorrect removal attempt of a piece good from a storage location ontothe tray table.

Providing a signal indicative of a first incorrect withdrawal attemptmay result in the picking device being shut down until the error iscorrected by an operator. In one or more embodiments of the method forverifying a movement of drug packages onto a tray table of a gripper,wherein the transport device comprises two elongated X-directionallyextending clamping jaws arranged above the tray table, with clampingsurfaces facing each other, the device is not completely shut down, butrather the clamping jaws are opened in the Y-direction and again movedin the X-direction to the storage location, and then the drug packagedisposed in the end portion is gripped with the clamping jaws. Since itis known on the basis of the check that the drug package is disposed atleast in sections in the end portion of the tray table, it can beestimated on the basis of the information present on the package how farthe movement must take place in the X-direction. After the drug packagehas been gripped (or one has at least tried to grip it) with theclamping jaws, the above-mentioned process steps b) and c) are performedagain, i.e. the package is returned to the tray table and an end portiontest is performed. Should the second check of the end portion also bepositive, i.e. should it be determined that a drug package is againresting on the end portion, a signal indicative of a second incorrectwithdrawal attempt is provided. In response, the device can now be shutdown, or a third removal attempt may also be carried out.

In one or more embodiments of the method according to the disclosure, inwhich a plurality of sensors are arranged in the end portion, the widthof a drug package is determined by moving the at least one drug packagetoward the tray table by means of the plurality of sensors arranged inthe tray table, the determined width is compared to a nominal widthknown to the control device and, when a limit deviation between thedetermined width and target width of a drug package is exceeded, acorresponding signal is provided. Therefore, there is a furtherverification of the moved drug package. While it is relatively unlikelythat a drug package which the control device of the picking device doesnot expect would be located at a storage location, this may be the caseif, for example, an error correction by an operator has displaced thedrug packages in the picking device. The embodiments according to thedisclosure thus once again increases the certainty that the correct drugpackage is removed.

The response to the provided signal indicative of an improper drugpackage may be that the picking device is stopped due to the unexpecteddrug package. Alternatively, it can be provided in one or moreembodiments that, after providing a signal indicative of an exceeding ofa limit deviation, the gripper is moved towards an unloading station andthe drug packages resting on the tray table are transferred to theunloading station. This avoids that a user must enter the picking devicein the case of a detected improper depositing, which avoids a standstillof the picking device. The thus removed drug packages can be loadedagain and the drug to be initially unloaded can be requested again.

The disclosure further relates to a use of a sensor assembly having anarcuate side surface and at least one sensor arranged below the surfaceof the sensor assembly, which can determine the presence of a drugpackage in its detection area, and an interface for connecting thesensor assembly to a control device for verifying a movement of drugpackages on a support table of a gripper of a picking device for drugs.

FIGS. 1a and 1b show two oblique views of one or more embodiments of agripper 1 according to the disclosure, wherein FIG. 1a shows an obliqueview from above and FIG. 1b shows an oblique view from below. Thegripper 1 according to the disclosure is part of an operating device(not shown) for a picking device and includes a tray table 10 and atransport device that includes two clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b withopposite clamping surfaces 21 a, 21 b (see FIG. 5b ). At their freeends, the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b have a portion 22 a, 22 b (see FIG.4a ), which is coated with an anti-slip material.

At the free ends of the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b, the tray table 10 hasan end portion 70, which is a sensor assembly 72 having a plurality ofsensors 73 disposed below the surface of the sensor assembly 72 andcapable of detecting the presence of an object in their detection area.In the present case, the sensors 73 can detect when a drug package (atleast in sections) rests in the end portion 70. The end portion formsthe loading and unloading front of the tray table 10, and together withthe tray table 10, the end portion 70 forms a support surface on whichdrug packages rest or move. A front 71 of the end portion 70 is arcuate.This is necessary with correspondingly wide tray tables 10 if they areonly to be pivoted to approach a storage location and not additionallymoved in the X-direction towards the storage location and a gap betweenfront and storage location should be kept as small as possible. Here,the end portion 70 is formed as a detachable sensor assembly 72 which iscoupled with a control device 4 (shown in FIG. 1b ).

The tray table 10 includes, in the middle, an elongated opening 11 whichextends in the direction of loading and unloading, i.e. in the firsthorizontal direction X. In the opening 11, a sliding element 12 isarranged with a widened sliding head 13. The sliding element 12 can bemoved in the elongated opening 11 in the loading and unloading directionand the first horizontal direction X.

Opposite the end portion 70, a jaw guide assembly 30 is arranged towhich the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are connected and which includes amechanism for moving and pivoting the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b. In anupper section, the jaw guide assembly 30 includes a drive unit 50 withtwo drives 51, 52 and associated gears 53, 54. The clamping jaws 20 a,20 b are moved and pivoted by way of these two drives 51, 52, as will bedescribed in more detail with reference to the following figures. Thejaw guide assembly 30 further includes an optical detection device 2,with which various aspects can be monitored during the loading andunloading operation.

The jaw guide assembly 30 and all of its electronic components areconnected to a control device 4, which is arranged below an attachmentarm 3. The attachment arm 3 itself is fastened to the tray table 10 orto a substructure of the tray table via a swivel joint.

For loading and unloading of drug packages, the jaw guide assembly 30must be moved in the first horizontal direction (X-direction) or theloading and unloading direction. For this purpose, a drive 60 isarranged below the tray table, by which the jaw guide assembly 30 ismoved, as will be described in more detail with reference to subsequentfigures. Moreover, below the tray table 10, a further drive 7 isarranged, with which the sliding element 12 is movable in the elongatedopening 11 in the first horizontal direction X.

FIGS. 2a, 2b and 3a, 3b show detailed views of the gripper 1 in theregion of the end portion 70 of the tray table 10, wherein in FIGS. 3aand 3b , the tray table is omitted to illustrate the lower part of thegripper 1. FIGS. 2a and 2b show the arrangement of the sensors 73, whichare arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to the central orlongitudinal axis MA of the tray table 10 of the gripper 1. The sensorassembly 72 comprises, in addition to the sensors 73, a sensor 74 whichis formed corresponding to the sensors 73 and which can serve todetermine the length, in the X-direction, of the drug package(s) movedonto the tray table 10. For this purpose, the drug package is moved whenmoving on the tray table 10 completely to the sliding head 13, by theclamping jaws 20 a, 20 b being completely moved back. Upon contact withthe sliding head 13, the drug package is moved toward the end portion 70until the sensor 74 is activated. Based on the movement distance, thelength in the X-direction can be determined and compared with the knownlength.

FIGS. 4a and 4b show oblique views of a jaw guide assembly 30 of one ormore embodiments in which both clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are pivoted forgrasping. The jaw guide assembly 30 includes a slightly different framestructure 31, 32, 33 a, 33 b, wherein the front component 31 engagesaround the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b and the tray table 10 (not shown).At the lower ends of the component 31, movable parts 62 a, 62 b (the“runners”) of a linear drive are mounted with which the jaw guideassembly 30 can be moved in the first horizontal direction. Thecomponents are referred to as being “movable” as they move together withthe jaw guide assembly 30 along corresponding fixed parts 61 a, 61 b,which are rotated to move the moving parts 62 a, 62 b, in the firsthorizontal direction X. The fixed parts 61 a, 61 b (see also FIGS. 1a,1b , 2 a, 3 a and 3 b) themselves may move to move the moving parts 62a, 62 b, for example by rotating, during which rotating movement themoving parts 62 a, 62 b are moved along the longitudinal axis of thefixed parts 61 a, 61 b. The fixed parts 61 a, 61 b are therefore onlyfixed in relation to their position within the operating device itself.In one or more embodiments, it is conceivable, for example, that thefixed parts are designed as toothed belts, which are formed between thelongitudinal ends of the operating device and cooperate withcorresponding deflection rollers for moving the movable parts 62 a, 62b.

As can be seen in FIG. 4b , a first guide 35 and a second guide 36extend between the lateral frame structure components 33 a, 33 b in asecond horizontal direction Y parallel to one another and spaced apartin the first horizontal direction X, wherein the first guide 35 facesthe free ends of the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b. Jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b;41 a, 41 b are arranged on each of the guides 35, 36, with two first jawcarriages 40 a, 40 b on the first guide 35 and two second jaw carriages41 a, 41 b on the second guide 36. A portion of the jaw carriages 40 a,40 b; 41 a, 41 b surrounds a projection of the guides 35, 36, so thatthe jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b partially rest on thisprojection.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show detailed views of the jaw assembly 30. It can beseen from these figures that jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b areconnected with drive elements 45 a, 45 b, 46 a, 46 b, which are formedas racks. The drive elements 45 a, 45 b associated with the first guide35 and the corresponding first jaw carriage 40 a, 40 b and thecorresponding drive elements 46 a, 46 b associated with the second guide36 are aligned with respect to the tooth elements of the racks in such away that the toothed elements lie opposite one another and at their freeends form an overlap area. A drive gear (e.g., gearwheel) 55, 56 isarranged in each case centrally in the overlapping region of the driveelements or racks and is coupled to a drive 51, 52 via a gear 53, 54(not shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b ). The distance between the jaw carriages40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b of a guide 35, 36 and the corresponding drivegear 55, 56 is identical, a drive gear 55, 56 is thus arranged exactlyin the middle between two jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b, so thata movement of the drive gear 55, 56 causes synchronous movements of thejaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b. Upon rotation of the drive gear55, 56, the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b are thus synchronouslymoved toward or away from each other, with the corresponding applyingfor the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b associated with the twoguides 35, 36.

Thus, the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b of the first guide can be movedsimultaneously or separately with respect to the jaw carriages 41 a, 41b of the second guide, so that there is great flexibility in themovement of the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b. The jaw carriages40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b of the first and second guides 35, 36 may bemoved synchronously, or only the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 bassociated with the first or second guides 35, 36 may be moved. In thisway, it is possible to simultaneously move the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 battached to the jaw carriage 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b parallel or alreadypivoted without angular adjustment (by simultaneously moving the jawcarriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b of both guides 35, 36) or, if only thejaw carriages 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b of a guide 35, 36 are moved, topivot the jaws.

As already stated, the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are coupled to the jawguide assembly 30. This coupling can be seen in FIGS. 4b and 5b . Theclamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are each connected via a pivot 23 a, 43 a; 23b, 43 b with the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b of the first guide 35 and viaa slot guide 24 a, 25 a, 44 a; 24 b, 25 b, 44 b are connected to the jawcarriages 41 a, 41 b of the second guide 36. In one or more embodiments,a hinge may also be arranged in the jaw carriage 41 a, 41 b associatedwith the second guide 36, and in this case, it is then required in theillustrated combination that the slot guides are arranged in the jawcarriages 40 a, 40 b associated with the first guide 35.

However, a use of the combination rotary joint/slot guide is notmandatory. Although the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b must be kept in atleast one guide to the corresponding jaw carriage 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 bby a rotary or swivel joint, the use of a slot guide is not mandatory.Thus, it is conceivable, for example, that the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 bare moved in one or more embodiments with the jaw carriages 40 a, 40 b;41 a, 41 b against a resetting force, and when returning the jawcarriage 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b, the resetting force moves the clampingjaws 20 a, 20 b back.

FIG. 6 shows a detailed view of the jaw guide assembly 30, wherein partsof the drive unit 50 and the frame structure are omitted for a betterview of the remaining components. In FIG. 6, the clamping jaws 20 a, 20b are further moved together and aligned parallel to each other. In acomparison of FIGS. 5a, 5b and FIG. 6 it can be seen how the position ofthe clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b is influenced by a displacement of the jawcarriage 40 a, 40 b; 41 a, 41 b on the guides 35, 36.

With reference to FIGS. 7a-7h and FIG. 8, one or more embodiments of amethod 90 according to the disclosure will now be described. First, thegripper 1 is moved to a storage location 80 such that the drug packages6′, 6 to be removed are arranged approximately centrally with respect tothe tray table 10 of the gripper 1, as illustrated in FIG. 7a . In FIGS.7a -7 h, only a few components of the gripper 1 are shown schematicallywhich are essential for the method as such. In addition to the clampingjaws 20 a, 20 b, the sliding head 13 is illustrated, which represents astop for the drug packages 6′, 6 when pulling them onto the tray table10. As indicated in the figures, the tray table 10 comprises an endportion which is circularly arcuate in the Y-direction and in which aplurality of mirror-symmetrically arranged sensors 73 are arranged. Thetray table 10 itself is brought into position by pivoting the tray table10 about a vertical axis VA in front of the storage location 80.

To move drug packages 6′, 6 toward the tray table 10, first the clampingjaws 20 a, 20 b of the gripper 1 are moved in the X-direction to thestorage location 80 of the drug packages 6′, 6, as illustrated in FIG.7b (step 100). As soon as the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are movedcorrespondingly far to the storage location, they are moved towards eachother in the Y-direction, so that the drug packages 6′, 6 are gripped(see also FIG. 7b , step 110). Once the drug packages 6′, 6 are gripped,in a step 120, the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are moved from the storagelocation 80 in the X-direction to the tray table 10 of the gripper 1,which is illustrated in FIG. 7c . In order to move the drug packages 6′,6 onto the tray table 10, the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are moved in theX-direction to their original position, with the gripped drug package orpackages 6′, 6 striking the sliding head 13.

Once the complete return movement of the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 b hasbeen performed, it is checked in a step 130 whether a drug package 6′, 6is present in the detection area of one of the sensors 73. The detectionas to whether a drug package 6′, 6 is arranged in the end portiondepends on the type of sensor 73 used, meaning particularly lightscanners, light sensors and tactile sensors. How exactly the presence ofan object is detected as a function of the specific type of sensor isknown to the person skilled in the art and will not be explained in moredetail here.

If the check reveals that no drug package 6′, 6 is lying in the endportion, the gripper 1 is moved subsequently to the storage location 80of the drug package or packages 6′, 6 resting on the tray table 10 (step200).

However, if it turns out that a drug package 6′, 6 is disposed in theend portion, as shown in FIG. 7d , a signal is provided which indicatesa first incorrect removal attempt of the drug package 6′, 6 from thestorage location 80 to the tray table 10 (step 140). In the situationillustrated in FIG. 7d , it is the case that the drug package 6′ has notbeen moved completely onto the tray table 10, but is still arrangedlargely at the storage location 80, but also partly arranged in the endportion. If the gripper 1 would be moved in this situation, it couldhappen that the drug package 6′ falls from the storage location 80 and,in the worst case, blocks subsequent movement operations of theoperating device. For example, the signal provided could cause gripper 1operation not to be possible and operator intervention to be necessary.

It is also conceivable that this signal initiates a second removalattempt using the gripper 1. For this purpose, in a step 300, theclamping jaws 20 a, 20 b are opened in the Y-direction and moved in theX-direction to the storage location 80. Here, a plurality of sensors 73are used in the end portion, so that the control device 4 can use theactivated sensors 73 to evaluate how far the clamping jaws 20 a, 20 bhave to be moved apart in the Y-direction. If only a smaller number ofsensors 73 are used, the procedure is simply to move the clamping jaws20 a, 20 b maximally in the Y-direction. Once the clamping jaws 20 a, 20b have been moved correspondingly far in the X-direction to the storagelocation, an attempt is made to grasp the stuck drug package 6′ with theclamping jaws 20 a, 20 b (step 310) by retracting the clamping jaws 20a, 20 b in the Y-direction. Thereafter, process steps b) and c), thatis, moving in the X-direction toward the tray table 10 and checking theend portion for a resting drug package, are repeated (step 320). If itis determined that a drug package 6′, 6 is still resting in the endportion, a signal indicative of a second incorrect removal attempt isprovided (FIG. 7h ). In this case, a third removal attempt may be made,or a movement of the gripper 1 is prevented and the intervention ofoperating personnel is requested.

The present disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. The disclosureprovides various examples of the subject technology, and the subjecttechnology is not limited to these examples. Various modifications tothese aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andthe generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects.

A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “oneand only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.”Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one ormore. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine andneuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings andsubheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit thesubject technology.

The word “exemplary” or the term “for example” is used herein to mean“serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design describedherein as “exemplary” or “for example” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Inone aspect, various alternative configurations and operations describedherein may be considered to be at least equivalent.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the term “or” to separate any of the items, modifies thelist as a whole, rather than each item of the list. The phrase “at leastone of” does not require selection of at least one item; rather, thephrase allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of theitems, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or atleast one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrase “at leastone of A, B, or C” may refer to: only A, only B, or only C; or anycombination of A, B, and C.

A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspectmay refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an“embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to thesubject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurationsof the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment mayapply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment mayprovide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer toone or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a“configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential tothe subject technology or that such configuration applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to aconfiguration may apply to all configurations, or one or moreconfigurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. Aphrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations andvice versa.

In one aspect, unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values,ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that areset forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow,are approximate, not exact. In one aspect, they are intended to have areasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which theyrelate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps,operations or processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplaryapproaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that thespecific order or hierarchy of steps, operations or processes may berearranged. Some of the steps, operations or processes may be performedsimultaneously. Some or all of the steps, operations, or processes maybe performed automatically, without the intervention of a user. Theaccompanying method claims, if any, present elements of the varioussteps, operations or processes in a sample order, and are not meant tobe limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of amethod claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the likeis used, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar tothe term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

The Title, Background, Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings andAbstract of the disclosure are hereby incorporated into the disclosureand are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not asrestrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding thatthey will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the Detailed Description, it can be seen that thedescription provides illustrative examples and the various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The followingclaims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects describedherein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with thelanguage claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding,none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails tosatisfy the requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 101, 102, or 103, nor should theybe interpreted in such a way.

1. A gripper for drug packages, the gripper comprising: a tray having anend portion with an arcuate front, the end portion forming a loading andunloading front; a transport device arranged above the tray, thetransport device configured to move drug packages from a storage surfaceonto the tray; and at least one sensor arranged in the end portion ofthe tray, the at least one sensor configured to determine a presence ofa drug package in a detection area of the at least one sensor.
 2. Thegripper of claim 1, wherein the transport device comprises two elongatedclamping jaws with clamping surfaces facing each other.
 3. The gripperof claim 2, wherein at least one of the two elongated clamping jaws ismovable at least in sections towards and away from the other one of thetwo elongated clamping jaws.
 4. The gripper of claim 2, furthercomprising: a jaw guide assembly comprising: a frame structure, aplurality of guides extending in parallel in a first direction andspaced from each other in a second direction, and a plurality of jawcarriages coupled to the guides and driven in the second direction,wherein at least one of the plurality of jaw carriages are arranged oneach of the plurality of guides; and a drive unit coupled to the jawguide assembly, the drive unit configured to drive the jaw guideassembly in the first direction.
 5. The gripper of claim 4, wherein theplurality of guides comprises a first guide and a second guide, andwherein the plurality of jaw carriages comprises at least four jawcarriages, wherein two first jaw carriages are coupled to the firstguide and two second jaw carriages are coupled to the second guide. 6.The gripper of claim 5, wherein at least two of the plurality of jawcarriages are spaced apart in the first direction and are coupled to oneof the two clamping jaws.
 7. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the grippercomprises a plurality of sensors for determining the presence of a drugpackage, wherein the sensors are arranged spaced apart from each otherin the end portion and positioned below a support surface for drugpackages.
 8. The gripper of claim 7, wherein the sensors are arrangedmirror-symmetrically with respect to a central axis of the tray.
 9. Thegripper of claim 1, wherein the end portion comprising the at least onesensor is formed as a sensor assembly configured to be detachable fromthe tray.
 10. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the arcuate front of theend portion is circularly curved, wherein the center of a correspondingcircle is located in a vertical rotary axis of the tray.
 11. The gripperof claim 1, further comprising an attachment arm coupled to the tray viaa swivel joint.
 12. The gripper of claim 11, further comprising acontrol device arranged on the attachment arm, the control devicecoupled to the at least one sensor.
 13. The gripper of claim 1, furthercomprising a sliding element comprising a sliding head movably disposedin an elongated opening of the tray.
 14. A system for drug packages, thesystem comprising: a storage location configured to store one or moredrug packages; and a picking device comprising a gripper, the grippercomprising: a tray having an end portion with an arcuate front, the endportion forming a loading and unloading front; a transport devicearranged above the tray, the transport device configured to move drugpackages from the storage location onto the tray; and a sensor assemblyarranged in the end portion of the tray, the sensor assembly configuredto determine a presence of a drug package in a detection area of thesensor assembly.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor assemblycomprises a plurality of sensors arranged spaced apart from each otherin the end portion and positioned below a support surface for drugpackages.
 16. A method of verifying a movement of drug packages onto atray of a gripper, the method comprising: moving a transport devicearranged above the tray to a storage location of at least one drugpackage and gripping the at least one drug package; moving the transportdevice from the storage location to the tray, the tray having an endportion with an arcuate front, the end portion forming a loading andunloading front; checking, by at least one sensor arranged in the endportion, if a drug package is present in a detection area of the atleast one sensor; and providing a signal indicating a first erroneousremoval attempt if the check is positive.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising: opening two elongated clamping jaws arranged abovethe tray and having mutually facing clamping surfaces; moving theclamping jaws to the storage location in response to a positive check;gripping, by the clamping jaws, a drug package arranged in the endportion; moving the transport device from the storage location to thetray; checking if a drug package is present in the detection area of theat least one sensor; and providing a signal indicating a seconderroneous removal attempt if the check is positive.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising: determining, by a plurality of sensorsarranged in the tray, a width of the at least one drug package whenmoving the at least one drug package towards the tray; comparing, by acontrol device, the determined width with a desired width; and providinga corresponding signal when a limit deviation between the determinedwidth and the desired width of the at least one drug package isexceeded.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: moving thegripper towards an unloading station after providing the correspondingsignal; and transferring present drug packages to the unloading station.20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: coupling a jaw guideassembly of the gripper to a drive unit, wherein the jaw guide assemblyincludes a frame structure, first and second guides extending inparallel in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in asecond direction; coupling two first jaw carriages to the first guide;coupling two second jaw carriages to the second guide; and driving, bythe drive unit, the jaw guide assembly in the first direction.